Aamoksh One Eighty Hospitality, an international brand of retirement homes in India, has launched an exclusive travel club for seniors – Group of Seniors Holidaying (GOSH). Under this programme, the company has announced its first tour, “Amritsar – A Cultural Trail”, a four-day travel programme focusing on an untapped segment of 50 years and above. The package has been customised according to the needs of the elderly which include senior-friendly hotels, special dietary needs, porterage services along with experienced tour managers.

The seniors would also get an opportunity to travel and interact with likeminded people. Seniors can relax in the serene environment of the Golden Temple and travel to Wagah border. They can also visit Khalsa College Campus to experience its architecture and Punjabi Naatshala – one of India’s best theatres for Punjabi drama. This will be followed by a tour of Historic Jallianwala Bagh. The senior citizens will also enjoy authentic Amritsari cuisines in dhabas and at Guru ka Langar at the Golden Temple.

Sanjay Lakhotia, founder and director, Aamoksh One Eighty, “Senior tourism is a western phenomenon, but it’s now catching up in India. The major drivers for this are rise in disposable income, old age independence, rising aspirations and having more free time. Senior services is a growing market. India, which is widely perceived as a young nation, will see a more than threefold rise in the number of elderly to 324 million by 2050, constituting 20 per cent of the population.”

As per the Frost & Sullivan and Amadeus report, there will be an increase of 250 million over-65s by 2030 across the seven countries which includes Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Singapore, with most of the increase coming from China and India. This will double the number of over-65 leisure travellers to Asia Pacific destinations by 2030.